Benedict IX sells the papacy
1045
The scandalous pope sold the throne of St. Peter to his godfather Giovanni Graziano for a large sum, so he could marry. Graziano became Gregory VI. Within months rival claimants would split the city and force Emperor Henry III to march on Rome and install a German reformer. The spectacle of a pope selling his office became the most notorious example of simony in Church history.
In context
Also in 1045 (2 other events on record)
- Song court reforms the civil examination system · East Asia · Politics
- Byzantine annexation of Armenia · Middle East · Politics
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Religion
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.
Sources